Annoyances

Yesterday I drove my Sweet16 to Geelong to be serviced. On my way my windscreen was hit by a stone thrown by a passing truck. There was a loud "bang", but I was relieved that I couldn't see any damage. However as I kept driving, a crack started growing up the windscreen. It was about 45cm long by the time I got to Geelong. So this morning I've had a new windscreen fitted.


Last night as I was going to bed my Kobo refused to start up.

It hangs at this start-up screen. Now it is eReading: no time, no place. Seven years and 9 days after it was given to me, the Kobo is no more. I didn't know I needed one when I got it, but it has been fantastic over the years. I've read 58 of the 100 free books that came pre-loaded on it, and lots of others over the years. I am/was 80% of the way through my current read, so will have to find an alternate way of reading it. None of the libraries that make up the Central Highlands Library conglomerate have a copy.

Crimson rosellas have done this to several of the roses:

New spring growth snipped off. The electric fence around the garden has stopped wallabies eating the roses, but it can't protect them from flying critters.

This morning, several cockatoos were wandering around in the same garden bed, doing this:

Snipping leaves off the lamb's ears. I don't think they were eating the leaves, although when I went outside one cocky flew off with a piece it had snipped:

Hard to see in the photo, but it is holding the piece of lamb's ear in its left foot. It sat up there thinking about the situation for a while, then dropped the lamb's ear before flying away with its friends.

Weekly Weather

For the last couple of days every time I've gone outside it has started to rain. Today we went to see Lal Lal Falls to see how much water was falling:

It looks pretty impressive, but nothing like the amount of water there was last September.

Here's week fifteen of my year quilt:

And here's the data, more winter than spring:
8/09/2017     8.9   blue
7/09/2017   10.9   aqua/teal
6/09/2017   10.7   aqua/teal
5/09/2017    8.2    blue
4/09/2017    9.2    blue
3/09/2017   13.4   aqua/teal
2/09/2017   17.1   green

The forecast for the next week includes two potential green days and five aqua ones. No blue! We'll see. If you are not sure what this is about, here is the post where I explain the concept.

Nectarine Blossom

We've had snow and hail and cold cold days, but the garden knows it is spring:

No UFOs for September

Judy has chosen number 4 as the UFO for September. For me that would be Easy Street:

Easy Street is a top. I have purchased the batting for it, and have backing fabric which needs to be sewn together. However, I know I am not going to work on this quilt this month, so I think at this point I am dropping the pretence that I'm participating in the UFO challenge!

What the Dogs Saw

What did Jack and Dot spot when we were out for a walk this afternoon?

Whatever it was, they really wanted a chance to get close to it.

However that probably would not have been a good idea:

I've been pronged by an echidna and it doesn't tickle. Although the tetanus needle I had to have afterwards probably hurt more.

House

Compare these two photos:

The top one was taken on the 3rd of September two years ago. The lower one is today. Of course the sunshine helps, but it is nice to remind myself that the garden was a sea of mud just two years ago.

Daffodil-eye view:

The new arbour is hiding in the trees at the top right of the photo.

Spring!

Spring is here! Maybe only according to the calendar though, because we didn't get the warm day the Bureau was promising us a few days ago. However there was sunshine and some hyacinths:

I planted the hyacinth bulbs around the base of the Cercis canadensis "Lavender Twist" tree I was given for my birthday, and the very next day a diggy dog (Dot) dug up a few of them. That's why there is wire over them!

Elsewhere on the block today, the arbour last seen back in May is now (virtually) finished. The climbing Lorraine Lee rose which was also a birthday present is planted at the base of the near post:

It is leafing out and beginning to grow. Once it has grown up a bit it won't need the wire around it to protect it from wallabies.

Here's week fourteen of my year quilt:

Not fully sewn yet.
Here's the weather data that determines the colours for each day:
1/09/2017     13.7   aqua/teal
31/08/2017   12.7   aqua/teal
30/08/2017   10.4   aqua/teal
29/08/2017     9.3   blue
28/08/2017     9.7   blue
27/08/2017    6.6    blue
26/08/2017  10.9    aqua/teal